Club continues Latin dance workshops

Hispanos Unidos held its second Latin Dance Workshop on Saturday and plans to have two more this semester.

Only 10 people came to Saturday’s workshop, said Paloma Cavazos, vice president of Hispanos Unidos.

Attendance at this semester’s first workshop was on par with the first ever workshop the club held, which was during last semester.

“There were no more than 10 people and that included our officers,” said Kendra Oregon, sophomore international studies major and Hispanos Unidos secretary.

For each workshop professional dancer and ACU graduate, Darrien Grays comes in to instruct the group. Grays instructs the males and invites a female dancer to come with him to instruct the females.

“He was funny and outgoing, but he was still very professional,” Cavazos said. “He really wanted us to do well.”

First males and females work on the basic steps separately. Then they come together to work on the dance as a whole, said Melissa Kichura, sophomore social work major and event coordinator for Hispanos Unidos.

Cavazos was pleased with how Saturday’s workshop went even though it started out looking like it was going to be an all-female turnout.

“We didn’t have any guys attend at first,” Cavazos said, “but an hour later a guy showed up, which was very exciting for all the girls.”

The workshops cost $5 per person. Hispanos Unidos use the Latin Dance Workshops to raise funds for events on campus.

The club is best known for its event Entra a la Plaza, which happens each fall. They would like to have a similar event during the spring semester for Cinco de Mayo, Oregon said.

The next two workshops are scheduled for March 22, and April 19.

“We expect a better turnout for the next two workshops,” Kichura said.

Hispanos Unidos plans to continue the workshops as a club fundraiser beyond this semester, Kichura said. Future workshops would likely be held during the spring semester in order to allow time for the club to plan Entra a la Plaza.

“I look forward to seeing more people attend and learning more complex and fun dance moves,” Cavazos said. “We encourage more guys to come next time.”